Noone Falls and My Sad Camera Bag

Contoocook River Below Noone Falls

 YET Another Cautionary Tale, With a Bonus

Here is a quick cautionary tale. It seems that at least half of my blog articles follow a cautionary theme. I am perpetually telling you what not to do by recounting the disasters that have befallen

Noone Falls with Better Flow, Peterborough, NH

me when I did that exact same thing. Cameras falling into streams,  lens ground to dust in my bag, frozen batteries, following the wrong trail and missing the sunrise or lighting my camera bag on fire at my nieces wedding. I'd like to say that these were all wonderful learning opportunities, but there MUST be better ways to learn. Perhaps I should be reading some other photographer's disaster blogs. Certainly, I have learned important lessons from all these tragic experiences, but, life being the random experience that is, sometimes past lessons open fresh opportunities to screw up in wholly new and creative ways.


Noone Falls
Last week I was in Peterborough delivering a picture to a client.

Contoocook River Reservoir

While I was in the neighborhood, I decided to check out Noone Falls off of Rt 202 along the Contoocook River. The old mill falls drains the Contoocook River Reservoir across a broad drop, but on this day, the main falls were dry with the water all shunted through a slues-way along the side. Happily the flow was strong and the cascades below the falls were promising. I settled in to find the best views along the rough, over grown banks and here is where my hard won experience paid off. As I worked my way to the best spots, I had visions of my Macro lens flipping out of my camera bag and into the steam, similar to what had happened to me a couple of years ago. As I am a cagy and experienced photographer, I took off my bag and carefully placed it beyond danger on a safe and stable spot above the bank. The river here has lots of interesting rocks and eddies and the passing clouds allowed prolonged exposures to capture the soft beauty of the flow. As I worked my way upstream, I grabbed some nice shots and then quickly circled back to the car to head home. It was getting late and I wanted to have time to do my necessary tortures at the Keene YMCA, before we joined friends for a pot luck supper to celebrate Susan's ..... birthday.

Contoocook River Through the Shoot

As I got out of the car at the Y, I grabbed for my gym bag and suddenly realized that I would not be punishing myself on the weights that day. The "cagy, experienced photographer" had left his photo bag in its very secure location on the side of the Contoocook River 25 miles away. I took such great precautions to protect my bag that I had completely forgotten it. Horrified, I did a quick mental inventory; Macro Lens, Filters, extra battery ,memory cards, graduated and variable ND filters, somewhat ratty cable release, and of course one partially incinerated, but much beloved camera bag. There was no choice. I leaped back into the car and hurtled back to Peterborough, reassuring myself all the way that the chance of someone finding and absconding with my bag of random stuff was very low. But it didn't help to reduce my anxiety.



 

As I pulled into the parking lot and rushed toward the river I knew I had no right to expect a joyous reunion. It didn't help to realize that, if I lost everything, I would have the makings of yet another sadly cautionary blog article. Against all justice the bag was still there, looking a bit hurt, but none the worst for this trial separation. I could almost hear it complaining, "First you light me on fire and now you desert me by a raging river? Is there a message here?"

 






Undeserved Bonus
As I sheepishly returned to the car, fate struck one more surprising blow. Along the informal path I came across a beautiful collection of Lady Slippers. These were some of the most perfect examples I had ever seen and at the peak of their unsullied pink perfection. Surprisingly I didn't notice them earlier in the day when my attention was drawn to the cascades, but on the way back to the car after retrieving my bag, my head was bowed in shame, and there they were! I placed my bag safely on the ground (really!) and was lying on the grass in an instant. I grabbed multiple, progressively focused images to allow focus stacking when I got home.  The wind was light, so I was able to align the images and get good sharpness front to back.  I also found an interesting new angle on the river from downstream. The water was churning around a projection of the bank which split the flow. Later, in post, I gave the water a bit more bite by blending in a tone-mapped layer. I found that an opacity of only 18% was enough to add the sense of the energy that I saw in the cascade. Nice shots, but my self-loathing was only partially assuaged by the photographs.




So what is the lesson from my latest screw-up? It may be that I should keep better track of the equipment and not get distracted by the beauty of the location, but I prefer to think that it is the reminder of the value of returning to a spot for a fresh look. Even when the visits are just a couple of hours apart, a fresh eye,(or head orientation) can reveal surprising new opportunities. Perhaps my bag knew all along that there was more to see along the Contoocook. Oh, and I did remember to bring that bag home this time, but the poor thing was watching my every move with practiced skepticism.



Jeffrey Newcomer
Partridgebrookreflections.com

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Zooming in on Spring Leafscapes

Using a Telephoto Lens to Focus on the Spring Color

 

Having survived stick and waterfall seasons we are now firmly in leaf season. Mid to late spring is a time of infinitely varied curtains of green and it is one of my favorite times of the year.  Not only can we say goodbye to the last remnants of winter (I hope), but the colors in the trees rival the autumn for warmth and brilliance.  Too soon the leaves will settle into their deeper and more monotonous summer greens, but while it lasts I feel like a kid in a candy shop trying to capture the unique beauty of new beginnings.

Not the Grand View
So far this spring I have been concentrating on macro images of the early buds and flowers, but the colors of the spring leaves lend themselves to a broader canvas.   In the Spring and Autumn, when the emphasis is on the color of the foliage, photographers often capture expansive images of hillsides with vast splashes of color.  It is tempting to focus on the grand panoramas, but for me, these images are generally monotonously busy and without direction.  I prefer to move in on the detail, arranging leaves, trunks and sky into more intimate compositions.  I had great fun this early spring limiting myself to the world seen through my 100mm Macro lens, but for the spring foliage I decided to switch to my telephoto zoom generally restricting my view to the 300 - 400 mm range.

 


The Telephoto View

Long lens' change photographic vision in a number of ways.   I found that the massive hunk of glass hanging from my shoulder quickly altered the focus of my attention as I scanned for more distant subjects that I could pull into the viewfinder.  The long telephoto restricts the angle of view making it easier to isolate arrangements of leaves, tree trunks, branches and fauna into simple but powerful compositions.  It compresses distant layers of foliage creating interesting and complex combinations of differing flora.  At the same time, depending on aperture, the telephoto creates a narrow range of sharp focus allowing soft bokeh to simplify the image and draw attention to the main subject(s).


 


 
 I started by scanning across pastures to the distant forest edge looking for patterns. The variously colored leaves created lovely montages while in other areas the dark branches provided interesting contrast with the soft foliage. Once I started looking, the compositions were everywhere. Foreground elements also helped to provide interest and context to the images. Through the perspective flattening effect of the long lens fences, sheep, and horses were compressed into the scene linking the background with the foreground interest. The effect can be subtle but still provides an almost unstated sense of connection which is very calming.




A couple of days ago I awoke to find a gentle mist hanging on the trees.   I rushed out  to shoot before the fog melted away. The depth enhancing effect of the mist combined with the compression of the telephoto produced lovely contrasts.

Spring Mist

 



 The leaves are beginning to settle into their summer hues. Sadly, the soft spring colors seem as fleeting as autumn's garish display, while it lasts it is well worth zooming in on the show.
Jeffrey Newcomer
Partridgebrookreflections.com

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Spring in the Fox Forest & Gleason Falls

 

Photographic Treasures in Hillsborough, New Hampshire
It is always exciting to find new places to explore and photograph in my corner of New England.  This spring I have discovered the Fox Forest which features a wide variety of New Hampshire habitat.  The added bonus is that the forest is located in Hillsborough, New Hampshire which has many other photographic locations, including a famous collection of stone arch bridges and dramatic waterfalls.

 The Fox Forest
The Caroline A. Fox Research and Demonstration Forest (Fox Forest) is a 1445 acre demonstration and research forest in

Fox Forest Headquarters

Hillsborough, New Hampshire.  It was donated to the state in 1933 by Caroline Fox, who had summered on the property for many years.  Miss Fox had a strong interest in forest management and directed that the forest should be used for research on the management of New Hampshire’s forests and other natural resources.  That work continues today through the Henry Baldwin Forest Education Center and currently includes assessment of timber harvesting in New Hampshire, forest sampling studies, regeneration research for white pine and red oak, uneven-aged management research and growth and yield studies.

 
 In addition to research areas, the Fox Forest offers to visitors  25 miles of trails through a widely a varied ecosystem.   Habitats range from peat bogs to virginal forests and oak covered ridges.  A marsh on the south side of the forest is the home of Black Gum trees that are estimated to be 400-500 years old.  The trails are well marked and accompanied by detailed maps and descriptions of the native treasures. 

Early Spring Tour
I was introduced to Fox Forest early this spring by Kristen Smith of Wicked Dark Photography.  On our visit, we explored parts of the north side of the forest down to the Mud Pond.  We saw many ferns raising their heads to the sun, but only a few blooms, being a bit early for the best show.  We did find a few early blooming Trillium.  I am a rank amateur when it comes to plant identification, so it was great to shadow Kristen through the

Mud Pond

forest. She has a remarkable knowledge of the flora, but as she named obscure plant after obscure plant, I began to suspect that she was just making the names up.  I would surely never know!  Mud Pond is an interesting destination.  Seen from a walkway extending to the edge of the pond there is a wide variety of peatland flora enclosing the the central pond. It was a lovely day in the forest and a chance to learn about a new location for further exploration.  I decided I had to come back to explore the forest later in the spring season and I returned last week. 

Wicked Dark Photographer

 
A Return Visit
On my second visit I followed the Ridge Trail to the Black Gum

Swamp Trail

Marsh on the south side of the forest. This was another day to focus primarily on macro photography of the flowers and emerging ferns.   It was a lovely warm and sunny day, a great time to be outside and terrible weather to try to capture wild flowers.  I slowly walked the trails looking for blooms that were covered by the forest shade, but where the bright contrasty light was unavoidable I used a small diffuser to soften the illumination.  The important thing about using a diffuser is to position it as close to the subject as possible without intruding on the frame.  This allows the light to softly wrap around the subject.  On occasions I was able to use my body to block the light, but this would have worked much better if I had a partner to provide the necessary portable shade.  It is always important to watch for distracting backgrounds in macro photographs and this is especially difficult when the backgrounds are

White Star

illuminated by the bright natural light.  Despite the challenges I was able to get some interesting images of flowers and ferns. The Fox Forest is a wonderful place to discover and photograph the special features of the New England woodlands.  I look forward to returning in all the seasons.

Painted Trillium

Gleason Stone Arch Bridge and Falls
Being in Hillsborough my mind naturally turned to flowing water. The town has a wonderful collection of stone bridges traversing a variety of tumbling brooks.  Of these my favorite is the Gleason Bridge  which crosses Beard Brook and Gleason Falls.  The bridge is a classic dry-laid stone bridge which is held together through the geometry of its stones, without any concrete.  Stone arch bridges are always fascinating, but what makes the Gleason Bridge special is that it spans a cascading waterfall. 



Given the recent rain, I knew that the waterfall would be dramatic, but as I suspected the bright mid afternoon sunlight was spotlighting the cascades.  The brilliant light contrasted starkly with

Beard Brook

the shaded banks and made it impossible to get the long exposures required to soften the appearance of the flowing water.  I tried combining my polarizer with a neutral density filter but high contrast was still an issue.  I tried a graduated ND filter but had difficulty positioning it to get a smooth effect.  I considered using multi-image HDR techniques, but I tend to go crazy when I try to combine HDR with focus stacking.  In the end my best technique was patience.  There were a very few small clouds skittering by and I settled in waiting for the few seconds of localized overcast that they provided.  I framed my composition and adjusted the focus so I could grab the key images during the brief curtains of softer light.  Although the swarms of  black flies did their best to chase me away, I was able to catch a few nice images both below and above the bridge.  I especially liked the small clutch of flowers clinging to the rocks next to the roaring Brook.



 
A beautiful New England forest, a classic stone arch bridge and waterfall, all in all a nice day.  I scurried home to upload my pictures and treat my insect bites.


Directions 


Fox Forest is located in Hillsborough, New Hampshire
Directions: On Rte. 202/9, take the exit for Hillsborough and Fox Forest. From the lights in the center of Hillsborough, take Center Road northwest about 2 miles to the parking lot on the right at the headquarters of the Caroline A. Fox Research and Demonstration Forest.

 

Gleason Falls in Hillsborough 


Directions:  From Route 9, take the exit to Route 202 South for Hillsborough.  Take a right on Main Street and then shortly another right onto Beard Road.  The road follows Beard Brook north passing one stone bridge on the right which spans the Brook to Jones Road.  Continue on Beard Road and a short distance further on the dirt road you will pass over the Gleason Stone Arch Bridge.  There is a small turn-off on the right just before the bridge.



 
Jeffrey Newcomer
Partridgebrookreflections.com

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Early Spring Macro Photography

Capturing The Greening
There is no single season for Macro photography.  The world of up close opens endless possibilities for fresh vision regardless of time or place, but early spring is one of my favorite times to slap on my 100mm Macro and start wandering about familiar places looking for new inspiration.

The Greening
We are currently in the middle of the surprising spring greening.  At this time every year the leaves explode as if they knew that their preciously short time to gather sunlight has arrived.  I love the variations of green that appear in the early spring, but, for me, the earliest part of the season is the best for macro photography.  During the first few days of the awakening, the buds break open providing a wide variety of fragile and succulent projections that create opportunities for unusual micro compositions.  I can usually find all the excitement I need by just wandering about my neighborhood, but his week I also stopped by Ashuelot River Park in Keene for additional opportunities.

Birth Spiral

The Equipment
My usual lens for  routine photographic explorations is the wonderfully capable Canon 24-105 f4 L Lens.  It covers the

Spring Icon

majority of my interests and is my one choice when I am traveling light, but occasionally, I like to force my vision in new directions by limiting myself to a different lens.  It may be a wider view with my 16-35mm, but most often I will select my 100mm Macro.  This is a wonderfully sharp and fast lens.  The 100mm makes it a great portrait lens and its macro capabilities gets me  to that magic 1:1 ratio that is especially good for capturing the first signs of the spring awakening. Of course, you don’t have to buy an expensive macro lens to get close.  Both close-up lens and lens tubes are considerably cheaper although not as convenient.

Pasture Cover

Finding Focus
The key to striking spring macro images is to find the fresh buds in good light and at a time when the wind is not strong.  Depth of

Shallow Focus

field is often a challenge with macro photography.  The ability to stop down to small apertures may be limited when the subjects are blowing in the breeze and long exposure only produce an artistic blur.  Higher ISO levels can allow shorter exposures but at the cost of image quality and noise.   Focus stacking is another option, but blending the images can also be challenging when the subject is being blown about.  One cheat that I have discussed previously is  to shoot flowers and greenery in a greenhouse where the light is diffused and the wind is minimal.  When a subject can not be fully in focus, the challenge is to pick the critical portions to bring into sharpness.  It is remarkable how much soft focus the eye can forgive as long as areas of sharpness draw attention to key elements. 





The Light 


Overcast weather is always preferred to capture the true colors in their full depth, but when shooting macros in bright sunlight the stark contrast can be reasonably managed with a small diffuser or by taking advantage of trans-illumination to light up the young foliage.  A flash may also be used to fill the shadows, and a polarizing filter can help to hide the bright reflections and to bring out the rich colors.

 





The Background
 One great thing about macro photography is that even terribly ordinary locations may hold magnificent treasures at the macro level.  It is important to remember that the same rules of composition apply, and it is often easier to arrange small nearby elements in a pleasing fashion than it is when the elements to be arranged are trees and mountains.  An ugly cluttered background can be reduced to a lovely backdrop with the soft Bokeh created by wide apertures.  Distracting background elements can still be a problem, but can often be eliminated with small changes in composition.




 
The Restless Spring

The one inevitable truth about the New England spring is that it is always changing.  Too soon the fascinating virginal buds will mature.  The detail in the wanton spring flowers will continue to provide excellent subjects for macro shots and the young leaves will continue to hold their fascination for a couple of weeks before they take on the deeper fixed green of the languid summer.   The attractions of the New England Spring are ever changing and always spectacular, so while you have a chance get out and enjoy the wonder of the awakening macro world.

Apple Blossom

Jeffrey Newcomerp
partridgebrookreflections.com

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Fay Falls and Ashuelot Gorge

Upper Fay Falls

A Photographic Scramble

It's looking like waterfall season is coming to an end here in southwestern New Hampshire, not because the water has stopped flowing, but because the buds are beginning to explode on the trees.  Once the greening starts there is nothing that can compete with the daily progression of colors that make our spring a worthy, but softer, competitor to the flashy brilliance of autumn.  But, before I start getting disgustingly poetic about the miracle of new life, here is one more article about waterfalls, without which, the early barrenspring would be hopelessly uninspiring.This early spring I have been focusing my waterfall explorations on my home region of Cheshire County, New Hampshire.  I started with an article

Houghton Brook Below Fay Falls

about several of my favorite falls in the county, but in the process of assembling a list of familiar waterfalls, I discovered a disturbing number of falls that I had never explored.  Most of these are less easily assessable spots with vague descriptions that I found on pages scattered throughout the internet.  It was annoying that there were perfectly good waterfalls in my backyard that I had never seen. This could NOT be allowed to stand.  I set out to correct the deficit.
 






My first quest took three tries and two blogs, but I finally discovered Pulpit Falls. The waterfall was spectacular, but my primary goal became to improve upon the confusing directions to Pulpit Falls and some of the other lesser known falls. My next targets were Fay Falls in Walpole and Ashuelot River Gorge in Gilsum. Neither was especially difficult to find, both were well worth the search, but both were notable for rather treacherous approaches down steep gorge walls.  Great care was needed.

•  Waterfalls of Cheshire County
• Finding Pulpit Falls, Possibly (NOT) 
• Pulpit Falls, Finally

Waterfall Safety
Waterfalls are notoriously dangerous places to navigate especially for photographers who are always trying to get just a bit further off

Emerald Pool,  Downstream
Houghton Brook

the beaten path for the best shot.  It is easy to lose footing on slippery, leaf coated rocks or soft insecure embankments. The resulting fall could break bones, cause death or worst of all damage your precious camera.  Always go slow and never depend on the solidity of untested footing.  Walking sticks can be helpful and it is important to keep equipment securely stowed in your pack while negotiating difficult terrain. Dangling Cameras and tripods can easily throw you off balance or snag on a random branch or rock. The basic rule should always be, “Take it slow and think before you move”.   My friend Kari Post has a great chapter about waterfall safety in her beautifully illustrated e book, "The Essential Guide to Photographing Waterfalls", check it out.

• Protecting the Equipment

Fay Falls

Jumbled Fay Falls

 

Fay Falls is tricky to find and once found it requires a steep descent down the side of the gorge on Houghton Brook to get to the best photographic vistas.  On my visit last week the falls were quite nice with the exuberant spring flow.  The falls cascade over a couple of drops as it descend a steep and jumbled path. There are a number of locations along the left side of the falls that open to views of all or parts of the drop.

• Directions: The falls are located off the County Road in

  

  Logging Road

  Walpole, New Hampshire.  Heading North on Route 12 along the Connecticut River, take a right on South Street heading into Walpole village. Cross Main Street and head up Prospect Hill Road.  Very shortly,  County Road will split off to the right. Follow County Road for 3.5 miles and then pull over at a

  

  Begin the Bushwhack

  logging road on the right which at present is marked by a sign, “No Wheeled Vehicles” and a metal gate on the opposite side of the road. At present there is no “No Trespassing” sign, but as always be respectful of the land and the wishes of the owners. Pull over to avoid blocking the road. Take care if there is active logging and don’t enter without permission.
•  Parking: 43 01 49.489, -72 24 20.579  
  

Hike the logging road downhill toward Houghton Brook, but if you follow the road all the way to the brook you will be substantially downstream from the falls. I did this on my first attempt and found some lovely cascades but not Fay Falls.  The best way to go is to follow the road just a 100 yards or so until you see a large multi-trunked pine on the right. All but one of the trunks has been cut away.  I can't guarantee that any of the tree will remain when you get there, but If you reach the stone wall, you have gone too far. At the pine you will need to start bushwhacking to the left toward the sound of falling water and the precipitous bank of the Gorge. From here it is not far.  The bearing is roughly 115-120 degrees. The bank to the falls is steep and shouldn’t be attempted in excessively wet or icy conditions.  And there you are.  Enjoy the cloistered drama of the falls and perhaps take a picture or two.  The good news is that steep banks are generally easier to climb than to descend.

• Fay Falls:  43 01 46.480, -72 24 16.46
•  

Ashuelot Gorge:
The Ashuelot River flows through a deep Gorge in Gilsum, New

Gilsum Stone Arch Bridge

Hampshire,north of Keene.   It is spanned by an impressive stone arch bridge carrying Surry Road west of  Route 10.  Built in 1862-63, the bridge is the largest dry-laid stone bridge in the state and towers nearly 45 feet above the riverbed.  The gorge creates a dramatic series of cascades and rapids that are popular with white water kayakers, but also provides several lovely photographic opportunities.  In addition to the cascades a dramatic multi-tiered waterfall plummets down the south wall of the gorge into the surging river below. The cascades can been seen, to a limited degree, from the stone bridge, but to truly appreciate the power of the surging water, you will need to descend the steep wall of  the north side of the Gorge.  Once again this should be approached with great care and only in good conditions.  Depending on the height of the flow there may be few places to set up at the rivers edge. 

Ashuelot Gorge

• Directions: Head north from Keene, New Hampshire on Route 10 (Gilsum Road).  Approaching Gilsum, the stone bridge is impossible to miss on the left.  Immediately after crossing the bridge, park in the entrance to a dirt path which heads upstream.   A sign here describes the bridge and it's history.  Walk a short distance west on Surry Road and you will see a rough opening in the side of the road heading down the bank to the river.  

The Bank

 
 There is no distinct trail but you can see routes taken by others as they have slithered down the side.  Once again, be very cautious, plan every step, and keep your hands free for scrambling.  On a couple of occasions I surrendered to the need to slowly slide on my butt through especially questionable sections.  Hold on tight, but be careful not to contribute to erosion by digging up the bank.  The drama at the bottom is dependent on the strength of the flow and, of course it is most impressive in the spring and after substantial rains.  The pictures will be great, but don't forget to take some time to quietly enjoy the awesome power of nature and without a thought about f-stop or shutter speed.

Falls and Rapids

"Gilsum" Falls

Gilsum Falls
 

After all this scrambling, I can't resist offering one bonus waterfall. I'm not sure this one has an official name, but when the water is flowing it can be quite lovely.  It is just a short way from the Ashuelot Gorge, further north on Route 10.  Perhaps most importantly it is right by the side of the road.  No scrambling required.  The only danger is the risk of getting mangled by a passing truck.  The falls are located about 1.4 miles north of the Stone Arch Bridge on the right side of Route 10.  There is a small turnoff, but it can easily be missed without careful attention.  It is not large, but when flowing strongly, the falls have a nice meandering pattern.


 



Well I think I have talked enough about waterfalls for awhile. After all of this, if you don't have a strong urge to pee, a urology consultation is indicated.   It has been exciting to find some new falls in my own backyard and I hope my descriptions will be helpful as you explore some of these lesser known attractions of Cheshire County.  Enjoy, be careful and most of all be respectful of our abundant natural treasures.


Jeffrey Newcomer
Partridgebrookreflections.com

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